Of the 37 police forces which provided data to the BBC, the biggest drops were apparently in Kent and Wiltshire, which saw falls by 84% and 80% respectively. Over all, it's a drop nationally of about 47%.

However, the BBC does note that in a handful of areas, the numbers rose when comparing 14-15 and 15-16.

What's really interesting to consider though is why there has been such a massive fall. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the National Police Federation place the blame on cuts, which have reduced the number of traffic officers.

But presumably changing consumer behaviour could also impact it: Since using a phone behind the wheel was outlawed in 2007, it has become increasingly socially unacceptable to do so (a bit like drink-driving). And technological change, with more cars than ever now supporting bluetooth audio, suggests that drivers now have less of a need to raise their phones to their ears. So deriving any massive meaning from these numbers may be trickier than it looks. [BBC]